Time is a Delicate Thing
by ForeverAMalfoy
Summary: In the aftermath of the final battle, Harry and Hermione are sent back twenty-seven years to correct grave errors made to them. Time travel, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing, mentor! McGonagall, rated M for later chapters. HP/HG, JP/LE. More pairings as the story progresses.
1. Chapter 1

**Time is a Delicate Thing**

 **Summary:** In the aftermath of the final battle, Harry and Hermione are sent back twenty-seven years to correct grave errors made to them. Time travel, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing, mentor! McGonagall, rated M for later chapters. HP/HG, JP/LE. More pairings as the story progresses.

The long, emotional battle was finally over. The wounded were being tended to by Madame Pomfrey and Emergency Mediwitches in the infirmary, the dead were being collected by the aurors, to be brought to the Great Hall so their families and friends could identify them. Any of the dead that were branded with the Dark Mark were thrown into the funeral pyre that was burning just outside of the Quidditch pitch, the few Death Eaters that survived the fighting were sent to the Quidditch locker rooms, which Filtch, along with Madame Hooch, had equipped with irons, much like the ones Filtch always threatened students with.

Harry and Hermione were the only ones at Hogwarts that day that didn't feel a sense of celebration underneath the intense mourning they felt. They sat in silence, leaning against one another for support on the steps leading to Hagrid's now destroyed hut. The faint smell of burnt wood and cloth still permeated the air in the area, but it was preferable to the burnt flesh and blood that hung around the castle. Hermione lifted her head and looked solemnly at the place she once called home.

"It's not over yet, is it, Harry?" she whispered as she watched the far-off pyre flare once more, another Death Eater found dead.

Harry sighed deeply. "It's not Mione. The fighting here is over, but I can't stop thinking that there's something else we need to do," he said dejectedly. "There's still more I need to do."

"That we need to do, Harry," she replied softly. "I've never left your side before, even when I knew that staying by you could mean my death. I'm never leaving your side."

Harry smiled tiredly and bent his head to look at her. "I never expected you to leave, Mione. I always knew you'd stay."

"And I always will," she said, smiling back up at him. "Come on, let's go find a quiet place to set up the tent, I don't really want to leave the grounds, but the thought of sleeping somewhere other than my cot doesn't feel right at the moment."

As they stood and walked towards the forest to find a place to set up camp for the night, Harry's eye caught those of two very familiar beings.

"Firenze, Bane," he said, bowing slightly. "I wanted to thank you for the centaur's assistance during this conflict."

The centaurs returned the bow. "Harry Potter, the centaurs will forever stand by you and Hermione Granger in whatever conflict you may come across, and when you have offspring, we will stand by them as well. The stars have told us that the children, grandchildren and on of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, will always stay steady in the path of the light, and they will always defend and honor the centaurs. For that, as long as there is a descendant of us, and a descendant of you, we shall remain allies," Bane said formally.

Firenze walked forward and hugged Hermione tightly. "The stars have also told us the conflicts you are facing are not over. Someone meaning you no harm will attempt to fix a great wrong they committed three hundred and thirty full moons ago. This will give both of you an opportunity to fix great wrongs done to both of you. The centaur nation wishes you immense luck."

Hermione looked to Bane, as if to ask him what Firenze meant, but Bane held his hand up. "We only know what the stars tell us, Hermione. They do not tell us what great wrong was done to both of you nearly twenty-seven years ago. I'm sorry, child."

Harry looked to Hermione and nodded, holding his hand out. As she took it, Bane spoke again. "My children and the rest of the nation have agreed to house you both until the stars tell us you will be leaving to correct these mysterious wrongs. Your new abode was constructed with direction from Hagrid, however, he was only a messenger. I believe Professors McGonagall and Vector were the ones who designed this dwelling which will remain standing for as long as the alliance between our families remains."

As Bane lead the duo to their temporary home, Harry whispered to Hermione, "I reckon our hunch was right. But how are we supposed to fix something that happened almost thirty years ago?"

"We'll manage somehow, Harry," she said just as softly. "We always do."

After a few more moments of walking, Bane stopped just short of a clearing. "Your home, friends." He gestured for the duo to step ahead of him.

What they saw took their breath away. In the middle of the clearing stood a modest stone cottage, complete with a small vegetable garden and light puffs of white smoke wafting from the chimney. As they walked down the smooth cobblestone path to the door, Hermione's tired smile got brighter. "It just feels like home, doesn't it, Harry?" she said breathlessly as they reached the door.

Opening the solid oak door, Hermione's excitement finally got the better of her. "Oh, Harry, look at this place! Professors McGonagall and Vector really are amazing!"

While she ran from room to room, Harry decided to take a calmer approach to investigating their new home. The front door opened to the living room, which felt open and airy thanks to large windows and light coloured furniture, such as the creme colored couch, and the soft blue armchairs. Turning left brought him to the kitchen, which was decorated in soft yellows, with muggle and magical appliances.

Turning from the kitchen, Harry explored the rest of the house and found that each room was decorated in soft colors, and light colored furniture, like the seafoam green in the bathrooms, to the pale grey of the hallways. When Harry reached the last room that he hadn't yet explored, he found Hermione grinning widely in a large bedroom. Hugging Hermione, he surveyed the room. Against one wall, two bureaus, one with the initials HJP and the other with the initials HJG were slowly becoming filled with their belongings with the help of Hermione's wand.

After several hours of rearranging and unpacking Hermione's beaded bag, the duo finally collapsed on the couch from sheer exhaustion. Hermione's last thought as she finally drifted off to sleep was of how comforting it was to have Harry's arm wrapped around her shoulders, keeping her safe. Harry's mind was on the same track, he was just too drained to admit it.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry for the delay! I exclusively use ffnet on my phone and lost all my progress with this chapter when my phone stopped working! Without further adieu, here's chapter two!**

Hermione woke first, instead of getting up immediately like she was wont to do, she savored being in Harry's arms. As he began to stir minutes later, she stretched leisurely against him.

As they both sat up, a soft 'pop' was heard behind them. Thinking it was simply a house elf, they thought nothing of it. As Hermione stood and pivoted, she gasped.

"Kreacher? What are you doing here?"

"Kreacher is doing work for Hogwarts now, Missy Hermione. Kreacher was chosen to help with a special job," the old elf rasped.

"What job Kreacher?" Harry asked, standing up.

"This one," he said, snapping his fingers crisply.

As Kreacher snapped his old, gnarly fingers, dozens of people around Britain, and two childless travelers in Brisbane, Australia, clutched at their heads for a moment, but only a brief moment. None of them would ever realize something was missing, however, all traces of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger had disappeared from the minds of each and every person who's ever met them.

The people whose lives were touched by Harry and Hermione weren't the only ones affected by Kreacher's strong, and sometimes strange magic. The two that Britain forgot were severely affected by whatever the formerly cantankerous elf had done. They woke after a few short moments, with Harry realizing he wasn't on his couch in the comfortable cottage anymore. They were laying on pavement, surrounded by the somehow familiar, yet still foreign noises around them.

"Hermione? Where are we?" Harry asked his companion, standing and clutching his head.

"It looks like King's Cross Station," she replied, confused. "But how did we get here? Hogwarts is roughly nine hours away!"

"Looks like we'll find out," Harry replied somberly.

As he grabbed the cart which held his familiar trunk, emblazoned with his initials, and Hedwig firmly secured in her cage, he looked around once more. He caught Hermione's eyes and they gasped at the same time.

"Harry, we...I...you...you look like you did when we met before first year!" Hermione whispered, suddenly in shock.

"So do you! D'you think somehow Kreacher sent us back to our first year?" he muttered, glancing around, making sure no one was listening in on their conversation.

"I don't know, Harry. Elf magic is extremely powerful, and no one's really researched it much because most wizards think of house elves as beneath them, which I think is totally preposterous," she ranted. "But why would he send us back to first year? Wait, Harry. Remember what Firenze and Bane said?"

"Something along the lines of correcting wrongs done to us starting twenty-seven years ago?" he asked skeptically. "Hermione, you and I both know Divination is a load of tosh."

"Think about it though, Harry. What if..." she trailed off, pulling her wand out and casting a charm which displays the time and date, unlike the the usual Tempus charm. She read the results and shook her head, casting the charm again. "Harry, I've done this charm a million times, and it's never failed me. The time is ten twenty-eight a.m., on September first, nineteen seventy-one."

"Nineteen...what?" he exclaimed, his eyes widening. "That's the year...wait! Hermione, something happened this year that Fate...or whatever...wants us to correct! Something happened on this day that needs to be changed, but what?"

Softly, she put her hand over Harry's, which was clasping his trolley tightly, his knuckles turning white. "Harry, I think I know what it's supposed to be. James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin met Peter Pettigrew on the train to Hogwarts their first year. That's the first thing we have to change."

"Then change it we shall," he replied harshly. "That rat cost my parents their lives, and Sirius twelve years in Azkaban. I'll make sure he never gets close to them." With that, he began marching determinedly to the train.

"Harry, wait!" Hermione called. "Your eyes. One look at you and all James will see is Lily. Just a tick," she muttered, digging through her school bag, which, in pure Hermione fashion, was already on her shoulder, ready for class. "There you are." As she pulled her wand from her bag, she again spoke to Harry. "As I'm sure you're aware, we remembered everything from the past, the future, blast! We remembered everything we've learned up until nineteen ninety-eight. I'm going to change your eye color, and basic face shape with what's called a cantrip. I'll teach them to you while we wait for...whatever it is we're supposed to do." As she waved her wand in simple shapes and muttered under her breath, Harry felt his jawline expand just a touch, as well as his brow bone becoming a little more pronounced. "Now the eye color," she muttered again. As she finished, she conjured a mirror for Harry to see her changes.

"I still look like Harry Potter, but my jawline seems to be sharper, and my eyes a touch more sunken in," he mused. "And my eyes...they're still green, but they aren't..."

"They're not Lily Evans green," she confirmed. "Now, let's get on the train. We don't know when James, Sirius, and Remus will show up. We need to be there to intercept the rat."

It seemed as soon as they got settled into an empty compartment and stowed their trunks, there was a soft knock on the door.

Hermione glanced at Harry and muttered, "Follow my lead," before she opened the door to their compartment.

Standing before her was a thin boy, his face and arms marred by pink, healing scratches and white scars. "Remus!" she thought happily. "Hello, what can I do for you?"

"Erm...my name's Remus, everywhere else is full. Any chance I could sit with you two?"

"Of course, Remus, come in. This is Harry Wilkins, my best friend, and I'm Hermione Granger."

"Granger, huh? Any relation to Hector Dagworth-Granger, the sixteenth century potioneer?" Remus asked, his eyes lighting up.

Hermione smiled and excitedly told Remus of her ancestor, whom she had found during some "light reading" her sixth year in the previous timeline.

"Amazing! I can't believe no one realized before him that Amortentia doesn't really produce love!" Remus exclaimed.

Before Hermione could do anything more than smile, there was another knock on the door. Harry, seeing Hermione had resumed her conversation with Remus, stood to answer it. Standing before him were the two people he missed most of all. James Potter and Sirius Black.

"Erm...could we sit with you, everywhere else is full," the taller of the two asked. "James Potter, by the way. This is Sirius Black, unfortunately heir to the house of the 'Psychotic Blacks', and my cousin."

Harry smiled, remembering that Sirius often called his family psychotic. "Sure, we have room for three more, feel free to join us. I'm Harry, that's Remus, and my best friend, Hermione."

Fifteen minutes later, and after James had generously bought enough everyone chocolate frogs for everyone to have at least a dozen, there was a softer knock on the door. This time, Remus, being closer to the door, answered.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting an answer, this is the tenth door I've knocked on. May I sit with you all? I've been walking around the corridor, but some students in green trimmed robes keep calling me these names I've never heard."

Harry and Hermione glanced around Remus to the person standing in the door. Hermione squeezed Harry's thigh as she smiled. "Of course! We've room for one more!"

The pretty redhead smiled gratefully. "Thank you, my legs are getting awfully tired, and I didn't want to stand the whole way to Scotland. Oh, drat! My trunk is down by the ladies' loo compartment. I'll be right back."

"No need," Harry said, smiling at his future mother. "I can run down to get it, you take a rest, we've been going for nearly an hour now, I'd dare to say you need a break."

"Thank you..." she began, implying to Harry that she wanted to know his name.

"Harry. That's Hermione, the bloke beside her is Remus, and the two on the other side are James and Sirius," he replied, standing. "Here, you can sit with Hermione while I fetch your trunk."

Soon after, Harry returned with Harry's trunk and a cat carrier carrying a familiar looking half-Kneazle. "I think someone missed you, Lily," he said smiling down at the animal.

"Oh, my little handsome Leonidas!" crooned Lily to the orange, squishy cat. "I'm so sorry I forgot about you!"

Harry and Hermione shared a look as they both realized that "Leonidas" looked too much like Crookshanks to be a coincidence. Their hunch was further proved when the half-Kneazle climbed in Hermione's lap and dozed for most of the trip.

As the sun was setting over the horizon, another knock came upon the door. This time Lily, being the only one not currently occupied with Leonidas, or a game of exploding snap, answered the door. "Hello?"

"Yeah, erm, is there room in there? I've been kicked out of mine," a small mousy boy asked.

Turning back to the group, Lily questioned Harry and Hermione. "Guys? You two were the ones to reserve this compartment, think there's anymore room?"

"Absolutely not," Harry answered. "Sorry, however it's six to a compartment for safety reasons, and we've got six already. Try closer to the rear."

As the future traitor of Lily and James Potter walked away, only one person in the compartment noticed the smart kneazle's hair had relaxed, having raised it when Peter started speaking. Hermione, Leonidas' current favorite person, smoothed a hand down his back and twitched her lips.

"Harry, that wasn't very nice!" Lily exclaimed as she closed the door.

"Actually, Lily, it's in Hogwarts, a History. Chapter twenty-three, page eight,' Hermione recited. "'The Hogwarts Express, while a tradition for all students, does have some safety precautions in the event of a derailment, or any such accident. The maximum limit to the compartment shall not exceed six persons in compartments one through nineteen, whereas compartments twenty through twenty-five may have up to twelve occupants.' I memorized the section on the Express as soon as I bought my copy."

"Oh, well, in that case, deal me back in boys," Lily said, smiling at her new friends.

"Actually, Lily, we need to head to the loos to change into our robes, we've lost track of time and we'll be at Hogwarts in around twenty minutes," Hermione said, passing 'Leo' as Sirius kept calling him, to James.

As the ladies changed, the boys did the same in their compartment. Before they knew it, they would be beginning (or starting over, as the case may be), their journey in Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Before I begin, I just have to respond to ALPS88's review here as they have private messaging disabled. Several of your questions will be answered in this chapter, including Severus' relationship with Lily and Peter's sorting. Enjoy! -F.A.M**

Before they knew it, the train was slowing and finally coming to a stop at Hogsmeade Station.

"Firs' years! Firs' years to me!" a familiar and welcome voice rang out. "Into the boats now, no more'n four to a boat!"

As everyone got settled into a boat, Harry and Hermione had silently agreed that Hermione would accompany James, Sirius, and Remus into a boat while Harry joined a boat with three girls that all looked vaguely familiar. After a brief conversation, Harry realized he was riding with Alice Boot, who in a few short years would be married to Frank Longbottom, Marlene McKinnon, who was Professor McGonagall's last survivng relative, and Dorcas Meadows, a half-blood raised by her squib aunt.

"Watch yer 'eads!" Hagrid boomed out as they reached a particularly thick area of reeds. "Up ahead, you'll see 'Ogwarts!"

While everyone else was mesmerized by the sight of their new home, Hermione was scanning the other boats, looking for anyone she recognized. Finally, her eyes settled on a dour looking boy, trying to ignore the other imbeciles in his boat.

Lily noticed her staring. "That's Severus Snape, he lives on the other side of the park from me. Mum and dad never let us play together, Severus' father is a bit of a drunkard and his mum is a meek little thing. Never stood up to Old Man Snape, even when he would hurt Severus. We went to primary school together."

"Did you ever talk to him?" Hermione asked, wondering if Lily's association with Severus should be changed too.

"Not really," the redhead replied. "Even when we did talk, it was all about our schoolwork."

 _"So that's different,"_ Hermione mused.

Finally, they reached the bank near the school and carefully walked ashore. Harry and Hermione's hearts soared as they caught a glimpse of their favorite professor, Professor McGonagall. After she lead them to the anteroon where they'd wait until the sorting was to start, she addressed the incoming first years.

"Welcome to your first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While you are students of this institution, your house will be your family. It is also encouraged, though not required, for students to expand their friendships across house boundaries. Now, I will return to collect you in a few moments for your sorting. You may talk quietly amongst yourselves."

Harry leaned over and whsipered to Hermione, "I wonder when she dropped the inter-house friendship bit. It wasn't in our first welcome speech."

Hermione just shrugged, placing her finger on her lips in the universal "be quiet" sign. Professor McGonagall had returned.

"Please arrange yourselves in three lines, it's time to be sorted," the much-loved professor requested as soon as the students had all stopped talking after noticing her presence.

In three rows, the newest students walked into the Great Hall, not daring to utter a word. Harry managed to maneuver the group of his nine companions close together. In front of him stood Hermione, Lily and Marlene, Harry stood with Remus and Dorcas while James, Alice and Sirius brought up the rear.

The sorting began as Harry and Hermione had guessed it would, with Sirius being the first Black sorted into Gryffindor. After a few more students got sorted, it was Hermione's turn.

 _"Ahh, Miss Granger, it's a pleasure to talk to you again, as it were,"_ Hermione heard in her head.

 _"You...remember me? How? In this timeline, we haven't met yet!"_ she replied, concentrating hard on just speaking within her mind.

 _"But you are forgetting I'm a magical artifact, Miss Granger. Do not fret, not even Headmaster Dumbledore can force me to reveal what I see in students' minds. Oh, I'm wasting time, let's sort you, shall we?_ Gryffindor!" Hermione found it unsettling to hear a voice that's not your own coming from so close to you, just as she did the first time around.

"So far, so good," Harry thought happily. Several more sortings, and finally, "Pettigrew, Peter"was called.

The hat took mere seconds to announce "Slytherin!".

The Headmaster did not agree, as he loudly proclaimed, "Hat, are you positive Mister Pettigrew is to be in Slytherin?"

"As sure as I am that you were to be sorted into Slytherin, Headmaster. While you do have traits from both houses, and you've made Godric's house proud, Salazar's house would have been a better fit for you. As for Mister Pettigrew, he shows no bravery, nor willingness to run headlong into danger like a Gryffindor, nor does he have the wit and thirst for knowledge of a Ravenclaw. He does not possess unwavering loyalty to those he holds close to him, thus excluding him from Hufflepuff. I see guile and cunningness and not a little deviousness. My sorting of Mister Pettigrew stands."

Harry's eyebrows raised into his hairline at the hat's rant. _"Dumbledore was supposed to be a Slytherin?"_ An eeternity passed, it seemed like, before Harry's name was finally called. After having a similar conversation as Hermione with the hat, he too was sorted into the house of the brave.

Finally, the sorting was complete with Dante Zabini joining Ravenclaw. As Dumbledore stood, his irritation was still prevalent on his face. "To our returning students, welcome back, and to our new students, welcome to another year at Hogwarts. As our older students are aware, Mister Filtch wishes for me to remind you all that the Forbidden Forest is aptly named. Students are prohibited from entering the forest for any reason. He would also like for me to add he's compiled a list of every Zonko's product that is banned from the grounds. The list is posted in each common room, and any students possessing such restricted goods are encouraged to turn them over to Mister Filch or your head of house within forty-eight hours if you wish to avoid a lengthy detention. First years, your prefects will let you know who your heads of house are. Without further delay, tuck in!"

The exact moment he finished speaking, mounds of food appeared on the tables. New to Harry and Hermione, however were placards on each plate reading ''For special requests, simply state the item you'd like and it will appear. Restrictions include secret family recipes."

Harry and Hermione shrugged at each other and decided to try it out. Hermione's request of "Spaghetti Bolognese and crispy garlic bread, small Caesar salad with Italian dressing and lemon water" produced a meal which was only rivaled in taste to her mother's own version, while Harry's request of "a double cheeseburger with ketchup, chips, a side of kosher dill pickles and Coca-Cola" also pleasantly surprised him. For dessert, they smiled devilishly and requested "Dobby's treacle tart". If Harry's moan of delight was anything to go by, the Hogwarts elves produced a supreme treacle tart.

Finally, as everyone had gotten their fill, Professor Dumbledore stood again. "Alas, in my age, I've forgotten one important announcement. Please join me in welcoming Professor Williamson, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." After the polite, if stilted applause died down, he spoke again. "Now, Prefects, please escort your charges to their dormitories. I daresay we're all ready for a kip."

While the walk to the common room was spent in mostly silence, allowing their yearmates to hear the prefect's instructions, it wasn't the case once the entirety of Gryffindor was securely in the tower.

The six who bonded on the train quickly moved to a couch, claiming it as theirs. Harry caught the eyes of Marlene and waved her over, bringing Alice and Dorcas with her.

"Guys, this is Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadows, and Alice Boot. I met them on the boat ride from the station. Ladies, this is Hermione Granger, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Lily Evans and James Potter," Harry said smiling.

After the usual pleasantries were exchanged, Hermione couldn't help but to ask Marlene a question that had been bugging her. "Marlene, what's it like living with Professor McGonagall? Is she just like she is here?"

"She's nothing like she is here. She's far from strict with me, my grandmum was her sister, so she acts more like a friend most of the time," Marlene replied. "I did get the "I won't treat you any differently because you're my great niece" speech."

Several hours later, Professor McGonagall came to the common room to corral the first years to bed. Once she left, Hermione snuck into Harry's dorm and slid into bed beside him.

"We finally have a moment to ourselves, and I never did teach you the cantrips I used on you," she whispered, laying her head on his chest. "I wrote down everything for you, I slipped it into your bag before I laid down."

"Thank you, Mione. I'd be lost without you," Harry whispered back. "What are we going to do? I saw at least a dozen Death Eaters in the Great Hall. It took so much self control not to hex them where they sat"

"We do nothing yet, Harry," she replied. "Bellatrix was one of the Dark Lord's most trusted, you saw her arm earlier, she isn't marked yet. I doubt Malfoy Senior is too, though his father probably is. Rowle, Crabbe, Goyle, the Lestrange brothers, the Carrows, they're all a year younger than Malfoy Senior and Bellatrix. They aren't marked yet."

"So we wait until they make a move?" he asked.

"Exactly. With Remus making the Dagworth-Granger connection for me, I can claim half-blood status, if not pureblood. You can claim half-blood, we'll have to come up with a name for your mother though."

Harry didn't reply, for he'd passed out, comfortable with Hermione cuddling into his side. She contemplated staying with him, but she didn't know if she could convince the other boys to keep quiet. Carefully, she slid out of the bed and straightened her shirt. Leaning down, she smoothed his hair and kissed his cheek before returning to her own dorm.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thank you for all your kind reviews! In this chapter, we'll see some planning, some manipulation and the first full moon at Hogwarts! xx -F.A.M**

Harry woke the next morning with a groan. While sleeping in a cot isn't exactly comfortable, he had gotten used to the rigidness of the canvas that was tightly secured onto the frame. He had found solace in the sturdiness of it, after sleeping on a lumpy mattress for years, the cot had helped his back immensely. As he sat up and began getting ready for the day ahead of him, he couldn't help but think that getting used to the overstuffed mattress of his bed was going to take some getting used to.

Hermione woke with similar thoughts going through her head. She, like Harry, had gotten used to her cot, and rolling out of it, onto her knees, since it was so close to the ground. After waking, she stretched deeply, and rolled off the bed in a practiced fashion. However, instead of the floor being a mere 2 feet from her bed, it was now more than three feet off the ground. She landed on the floor with a resounding thud.

"Hermione, are you ok?" Lily questioned her as she towel dried her hair.

"Yeah, I'm just used to my bed, it isn't quite this high," Hermione replied, getting her clothes from her trunk and heading into the shower room.

Twenty minutes later, she met Harry in the common room before heading off to breakfast with the rest of the first years.

"I miss my cot," she mumbled low enough for only Harry to hear as they sat down. "My bed's too high, I fell out of it this morning."

"I know the feeling, mine's too soft," Harry whispered back. "As much as we hated having to hide, that cot was the best bed I had slept in away from Hogwarts all my life."

Before Hermione could open her mouth to reply, breakfast appeared in front of them, along with the placards from last night. Taking a chance, Hermione asked for wheat toast with apricot marmalade, a boiled egg, and a small fruit salad, accompanied by orange juice and tea. Harry, not being used to his eleven-year-old starving body, ordered a full English breakfast, including a poached egg, bacon rashers, hash browns, toast, sausage, and tea. He finished half of it before his stomach began to protest. "Ugh, Mione, d'you want some of this?" he asked quietly. "I forgot how little I was able to eat the summer before I started Hogwarts the last time and this is too much food."

Smiling knowingly, she wordlessly deposited the rest of his bacon and hash browns onto her plate. "There's a lot we need to get used to, Harry. We need to make some kind of plan about what we're going to do. Room of Requirement tonight, after curfew?"

Harry just nodded, at that moment Professor McGonagall had just walked by, passing Harry and Hermione their timetables.

After a long day of Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, and Charms, Harry and Hermione headed down to dinner, where they were joined by James, Sirius, Remus, and Lily.

"Slughorn was bloody awful, wasn't he?" Sirius sighed. "I mean, how's a bloke to know that Erumpet Horn powder would explode like that if it's mixed with aconite?"

"How about the fact that _Professor_ Slughorn told us not five seconds earlier that we have to dilute the aconite in salamander blood before adding it to the Erumpet Horn in order to avoid an explosion. That and you added the Horn to the aconite, instead of adding the aconite to the Horn then slowly adding it to your cauldron," Lily snorted.

"Well, why didn't you say anything, Lily?" Sirius grumbled. "You were only at the next table."

"Because," she said, taking a helping of Shepherd's Pie, "I was too busy making sure James didn't do the same thing."

Looking at Hermione, Sirius asked the same of her.

"I was watching Harry," she said. "He's rubbish at potions."

Rolling his eyes, Sirus began to dig into his dinner enthusiastically, much like a Weasley.

As everyone around the Hall got their fill and the golden plates were beginning to disappear, the Headmaster stood. As everyone quieted down, he began to speak.

"Many of you have noticed that two of our Slytherins are missing tonight. It is my duty to tell you all that Abraxas Malfoy and his wife, Gwendolyn Rosier Malfoy have sadly passed on. Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black of Slytherin have left the castle to grieve, lay the senior Malfoys to rest, and to unite as husband and wife, since it is the Malfoy family belief that the Head of House, or Lord of the Manor as the case may be, cannot be unwed. They will return in a fortnight. We wish them our heartfelt condolences and best wishes for their lives together."

Stunned, Harry leaned over to Hermione, "I didn't know Lucy and Narcissa got married while they were sixth years."

"That would explain why they were so cold to one another though, but why was Draco not born until 1980 if they married in 1971?" she whispered back.

"Something to talk about later," Harry muttered, noticing Sirius eyeing them.

"So...Harry...Hermione...anything to tell us?" Sirius said, smirking.

"No..."

"Actually, yes," Hermione said, blushing. "Harry asked me to be his girlfriend after Transfiguration today. We've known each other since we were kids, so it's only natural we take this step."

While James and Sirius 'whooped' and Lily and Remus calmly congratulated them, Harry glanced around the Hall and noticed a rat-faced Slytherin staring Hermione down. _"You'll get yours, Rat,"_ Harry thought to himself before turning his attention back to his friends.

An hour later, the group of Gryffindors found themselves back in the common room. As Remus muttered an excuse to go to the Hospital Wing, Hermione stiffened and pulled her day planner out of her ever-present bag and opened it to the current day. Nudging Harry, she pointed to the symbol at the top of the page, signifying the moon phase of that day. Tonight was the first full moon of Remus' Hogwarts career.

Harry gave Hermione a short nod, letting her know he understood what she was trying to say.

Another hour later, Professor McGonagall again swept into the common room to usher the first years to bed. After waiting for forty-five minutes, Harry snuck out of bed and headed back to the common room to meet Hermione. When she finally joined him, they snuck quietly to the seventh floor, to the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy, and entered the Room of Requirement.

"I feel horrid for Remus right now," she muttered. "If the timeline stays true, he'll be alone at the Shack for another four years before James and Sirius learn how to become Animagus."

"I know, we'll learn with them," Harry said. "And maybe convince them to do it a little sooner, once Da...James and Sirius figure out why Remus disappears every month."

Nodding, she smiled. "Now, onto what we're going to do about Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters in training."

"Malfoy is out of reach right now, and from what I overheard earlier, he's distraught about his father, and marrying Narcissa is his priority right now before the Malfoy family magic rejects him as Head of House and Lord of the Manor," Harry began. "Bellatrix, the Lestrange brothers, Rowle, Avery, Dolohov, Crouch, Goyle, Crabbe, McNair and Mulciber aren't marked yet, I saw all of their forearms at lunch, their year had just come from Potions and apparently there was an accident and they didn't have time to change robes. Snape and Pettigrew obviously aren't marked yet, Regulus is too young still, we need to help him somehow by the way."

"So that leaves the Death Eaters that have already left Hogwarts, Voldemort himself, and the families of known Death Eaters," Hermione said, jotting everything they said down. "What are we going to do about the Rat?"

"We wait until he makes his first move against our friends. Then we can take him down a peg or two. Maybe let him have a potions accident or something, I'll give it more thought later," Harry said absently. "What about Snape? It was his friendship with M...Lily that brought him to the Light side before, what can we do to make that happen now? We can't have someone like Snape firmly in Riddle's corner."

"We have to do something, Harry. He doesn't have to deal with the Marauders picking on him in this timeline since they pretty much only did it to make him leave Lily alone, because they didn't approve of her friendship with a Slytherin. Maybe we could just be nice to him? Offer to let him study with us or something."

After giving Hermione a few moments to write everything down, Harry cast the Tempus charm. "Blimey, Hermione, it's almost one in the morning! We need to get back to the tower before McGonagall realizes we're gone."

Hurrying to Gryffindor Tower, they were almost caught twice, once by the Fat Friar who was patrolling the corridor leading to the staircase, and again by Mrs. Norris, who was down the corridor from the Gryffindor entrance. Finally, they made it safely back into their beds, where they had a restless night, thinking about everything they had discussed, and their friend in the Shrieking Shack.

 **AN: I exercised my creative freedom with this chapter a bit, as evidenced by the scene where Sirius recounts their potions lesson. The scene acted as a bit of a filler scene, as well as showcasing just how alike Hermione and Lily are.**


End file.
